People in Florida often turn to a lawyer when they need help with matters that they cannot handle on their own. They rely on their attorneys for confidential advice and wise counsel in difficult situations. Unfortunately, however, some people do not get the assistance that they expect. One Irish dance teacher is suing a law firm and an individual lawyer that he hired to represent him to seek a U.S. visa. He claims that they failed to follow through with his visa application and then spread false rumors that he was a pedophile who abused his students.
The dance teacher, who lives in the U.K., said that he could not obtain legal status in the U.S. to teach or perform due to the lawyers’ actions. He also said that they made false claims and spread rumors that led him to lose out on business agreements. The teacher is seeking damages for legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation and other causes of action. He said that he paid a lawyer $4,000 to handle his visa case and was assured it would proceed smoothly. Instead, he was later told that his potential employer had removed its support and his application was withdrawn.
The teacher then hired another lawyer to look further into the situation. The previous attorney told the new lawyer that the teacher was allegedly a pedophile who had abused three underage teen students. The teacher said that the allegations were completely untrue but that schools had declined to work with him after hearing the rumors from the lawyer, who is also an Irish dancer.
Lawyers have a responsibility to their clients to act responsibly and professionally. When people are injured as a result of a lawyer’s negligence, they may consult with a legal malpractice attorney about the potential to seek compensation for their damages.